It appears that Chad Johnson's injury is a little more serious than the Cincinnati Bengals originally said.

A source told ESPN.com's John Clayton on Monday that the wide receiver has a partially torn labrum in his left shoulder. The team had said the injury, which occurred in a preseason game on Aug. 17, was a sprained shoulder.

The source said that Johnson is expected to wear a harness but may be able to avoid surgery and play this season. The same source said that Browns tight end Kellen Winslow played last season with a similar injury.

Johnson, who had 93 catches for 1,440 yards and eight touchdowns last season, landed awkwardly in the game against Detroit and was in obvious pain. He was examined on the field before heading to the locker room. The team initially said that X-rays and an MRI were negative.

Johnson had lobbied for a trade during the offseason but eventually backed off and reported to training camp. He was limited, however, while recovering from surgery to remove bone spurs from his right ankle.